Do you know that my grandfather was entitled to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple?

Chapter 15 Hoping for Father to Become a Dragon

"This…"

Wang Min's heart skipped a beat; he had completely forgotten about this.

This incident was considered a scandal in the palace. Although the court officials knew about it, no one dared to discuss it privately.

Since the Lunar New Year had already passed, he hadn't thought of this for a moment.

Wang Min pondered for a moment and shook his head, saying, "That's not appropriate. At most, this matter will alarm the Ministry of Justice, but it won't reach the Emperor."

If this had happened in Bianjing, the emperor might have found out due to public opinion.

It would be a grave taboo for me to report directly to the authorities, bypassing my own rank.

There are naturally rules in officialdom, and even if he had different opinions on such matters, he would attach them to the documents submitted to the Ministry of Justice.

If the officials of the Ministry of Justice did not take his opinion into consideration, there was nothing he could do.

If he bypassed the Ministry of Justice and wrote directly to the Emperor, the Emperor would most likely think that the Ministry of Justice had not adopted his suggestions, which was why he had come to the Emperor.

If the Emperor were to feel sympathy for the eldest son of the Li family, he would not issue a direct decree to handle the matter; he would only express his attitude to the Ministry of Justice.

He would inevitably have to reprimand the officials of the Ministry of Justice, and wouldn't he have offended them all?

Wang You shook his head slightly upon hearing this. No wonder his father, who was honored with a place in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, was not as successful as Sheng Hong in his official career.

While hereditary privilege in obtaining an official position is one aspect, ability is also a factor.

I've made myself so clear, yet he still doesn't understand, still worrying about this and that.

"I saw a similar case in the Tongdian, where Father could submit two petitions, one to the Ministry of Justice, and refer to the handling method in the Tongdian."

Another approach is to submit a memorial to the Emperor, recounting the matter and requesting that the Emperor enact corresponding laws, so that in the future, if similar cases arise, all officials in the country will have laws to follow,” Wang You said.

Wang Min pondered for a moment and then asked, "Does You'er know that eldest son of the Li family?"

"I wouldn't say we know each other, I've only heard of him," Wang You said, shaking his head.

"Then why are you so determined to save him?"

Wang Min said, "Having compassion is a good thing, but if you enter officialdom in the future, you cannot..."

"etc!"

Wang You interrupted his father's lecture, looking speechless, and said, "I asked you to do this not out of pity, but for your future."

"For his father's future?"

Wang Min was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter.

"It is impossible for the imperial court to formulate laws for such matters. As the saying goes, every family has its own problems. Once the imperial court formulates corresponding laws, similar matters will only increase."

"The truth will be hard to discern then, and what will become of filial piety? If I, as your father, were to submit such a memorial, the Emperor would not accept it at all, so how could he possibly bestow any reward upon me?"

At this moment, Wang You somewhat understood the feelings of parents who hoped their children would become successful, but were disappointed and frustrated because their children were not living up to their expectations.

He had made it so clear that he hoped his father would become a dragon among men, yet his father still didn't understand.

Wang You sighed and said, "Father, when I asked you to submit a petition to the government requesting the enactment of corresponding laws for this matter, it was just a pretext to submit the petition legitimately without offending anyone."

The original intention was to let the emperor know about this matter. If the emperor felt sympathy for Li Dalang and gave him a lenient sentence, there would certainly be a basis for it.

The views and ideas mentioned by the father in his memorial became the basis for the government's decision.

The emperor would surely praise the contents of the father's memorial.

"Father has gained favor with the Emperor, and the Emperor will think of Father and, consequently, Grandfather. The benefits of this are self-evident, aren't they?"

He remembered that Sheng Hong's later promotion was due to the emperor praising his calligraphy after reading his official report.

Who knows if the officials will pay attention to someone they've praised later?

Is the failure to promote and give him important responsibilities due to the officials' poor judgment or the incompetence of the officials in the Ministry of Personnel?

Unlike Sheng Hong, Wang Min won the emperor's praise, but more importantly, he reminded the emperor of the late Grand Tutor Wang.

Although Wang You's grandfather passed away a few years after becoming prime minister, he had lectured the emperor on the classics when he served as a Hanlin scholar in his early years, so he could be considered half a teacher to the emperor.

It was common in ancient times for emperors to remember their former officials, appreciate their achievements, and reward their descendants.

"You'er, you..."

Wang Min looked at his son in surprise, never expecting that Wang You, at such a young age, would think so far ahead.

He knew Wang You was smart, and he often referred to Wang You as the "unicorn of the Wang family".

But he always thought that Wang You's intelligence was only in his studies.

But when he saw Wang You's eyes, he froze.

Because he saw disdain in Wang You's eyes.

What's there to complain about?

Recalling his previous behavior, Wang Min instantly understood.

Wang You was implying that he was stupid and clumsy.

Thinking of this, Wang Min glared at Wang You.

Wang You was bewildered by the look in his father's eyes.

Is there something wrong with my method?

No, I thought about it for a long time and considered every possible factor.

Moreover, since his father has made an appearance before the emperor, the emperor might find out that he is participating in the prodigy examination and pay special attention to him during the palace examination.

It can be described as a win-win situation.

Could it be that Father still doesn't understand?

Wang You thought about it more and more and felt it was possible, until he felt a wave of exhaustion.

Seeing that the disdain in his son's eyes had not only not disappeared, but had become even stronger, Wang Min was so angry that he felt the urge to resort to family discipline.

Wang You wanted to say something more, but seeing his father's increasingly grim expression, he sighed and said nothing more.

If my father is so stupid, and he is transferred to Bianjing, he will probably find it difficult to protect himself in the struggle for the crown prince position between the Prince of Yong and the Prince of Yan.

Staying in a local post and waiting for Zhao Zongquan to ascend the throne before going to the capital doesn't seem like a bad thing.

Thinking of this, Wang You stopped and obediently began to eat his meal.

Wang Min breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Wang You didn't say anything more.

His son is so smart that it makes him seem a bit stupid.

…………

The next day, Wang Min went to the prefectural government office and asked someone to summon the chief judge, instructing him to refer to the case of Fang Nian killing his mother in the Western Han Dynasty in the Tongdian (Comprehensive Statutes) to make a judgment on Li Dalang.

The process, outcome, and basis for handling the case were recorded in detail and submitted to the Ministry of Justice for approval.

Although the judicial commissioner was surprised, he did not object since Wang Min had said so.

In any case, it was Wang Min, the prefect, who made the decision, and the documents submitted to the Ministry of Justice needed to be stamped with Wang Min's official seal.

If any problems arise and someone is held accountable, Wang Min, the prefect, will take the blame, so it can't be blamed on him.

Wang Min dismissed the judicial commissioner and went to see the prefect of Shouzhou, informing him of his decision.

Prefect Chen had no intention of getting involved in the matter, and simply said he knew about it without offering any opinion.

Upon returning to the magistrate's office, Wang Min instructed the clerk to post the results of the handling of Li Jia Dalang's case publicly.

When the people who had received kindness from the Li family learned of this, they praised Wang Min highly.

Although Li Dalang was sentenced to exile three thousand miles away, the sentence still needed the approval of the Ministry of Justice to take effect.

But in the eyes of ordinary people, the fact that things could take a turn for the better and that they had a chance to save their lives was already the best possible outcome.

Although most ordinary people do not understand the law, the idea that murderers should pay with their lives has long been deeply ingrained in their minds.